Volvarian
Overview An ancient race of militaristic people, the Volvarians have developed mostly independent to other cultures, leading them to be what others would call barbaric. A prideful people, they tend to stick to their traditions as closely as possible, and they've grown to heavily dislike non-Volvarians. Most, if not all, of the Volvarian families date back centuries, to a prehistoric period of warring clans. House Del practically enslaved Volvar for a time and ruled with tyranny, waging war on any who opposed thrm. After the Alenthylian take over and destruction of the mainland, the intricacies of Volvarian culture has been all but lost, leading to a lasting resentment of Alenthylians and other outsiders. Volvarians are known to have pale skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. They are also slightly taller than a majority of Aevonhold's denizens. Religion Typically, the common folk of Volvar near worshiped the ruling Del, believing them to be flawless, supreme beings. The Dels themselves revered Chaos Magic, a destructive arcane force also known as Dark Magic to much of western Aevonhold. Seeking to harness the raw Arcane energy of dark magic, the Dels centered much of their day to day practices around the use of dark magic. In addition, fire is regarded highly. Not so much as the ruling Del, but Volvarians see the fire as representative of themselves - destructive and unrelenting. In a similar fashion, Broadwings are also revered as they're known to be beings of fire. The Dels were known to be supreme, the only people powerful enough to master both Chaos Magic and the destructive force of Dragons. History '- Rise of the Vols,' 3E'' 447'' The Vol clan was the first out of the myriad of warring clans to begin growing in power by conquering and annexing other clans, eventually gaining enough strength to begin forming the first lasting structure. House Vol gives the land a formal name, Volvar. '- The Dragonguard,' 3E 448 The Dragonguard, an ancient military force created to defend against Dragons is established under House Del, and run under the supervision of House Vol. '- Rise of the Dels,' Year 449 House Del followed in the Vols’ footsteps, their conquest beginning with the addition of the Thane clan, among others. Their power grew, now rivaling House Vol. '- Other Clans’ Rise,' Years 447 - 454 Among the other clans, a few began to try and rival the Vols and Dels using similar strategies of conquest. Among these are Houses Ghal. None managed to stay united long, as Houses Vol and Del were much too powerful to be rivaled. '- Volvar’s Discovery,' Year 517 A small Alenthylian expedition force lands in Volvar, meeting with House Vol. Due to their less-than-warm welcome, the Alenthylians are eventually run out. '- Conquest of the Dragon,' Year 720 House Del discovers the Dragoncharms created by ancient Volvarians and unlocked their use, leading to the control of dragons and the ultimate enslavement of Volvar. Not even House Vol was able to withstand the dragons. With this, the Del dynasty began. '- Fall of the Dels/Alenthylian Arrival,' 3E'' 1151'' With the Vol Rebellion and Alenthylian arrival after the destruction of Alenthyl, Del'Gruk III was cast out of power and Avangantamos Capewell I was put in place in his stead. With this, much of Volvar’s culture was lost, their homes now taken by Alenthylians, leading rise to the popular Volvarian resentment of Alenthyl. '- Mal Rebellion', Year 1158 Del'Drud strikes out against the Alenthylian throne in Volvar with the aid of Mal'Drov and Rein'Unger, marking the first significant Volvarian rebellion against the Alenthylian leadership. '- Fall of Del'Drud, '''3E 1160 After a short period of tyrannical reign over much of Volvar, Del'Drud is killed and Oskar Valkenrath takes the throne. '- Volvar’s Destruction,' ''Year 1164 Volvar is destroyed by the Volvarian mage known as Bel'Gord when he begins to merge a multitude of realms using Arcane Rifts, leaving behind toxic Arcane radiation. '- Reconstruction', Year 1177 The surviving Volvarians gathered on one of the smaller outlying islands, and eventually reformed their kingdom, New Volvar under House Vol. Due to being rather new, they remained weak and lawless, much of the lands being wild and untamed. Crime ran rampant, and the Vols fought to control the kingdom. In addition, Houses that clung to the old Del ways fought to undermine the Vols every step of the way. Quirks Overview Volvarians, due to their heavily military focused culture, have spawned quite a few odd customs. At least, by the standards of other cultures. Many of their customs are based around the fact that they devote most of their energy and effort into waging war on their enemies, their society and standards built around that. Appearance GhalVir.png DrelVika.png Grov.png Del'thok.png Amaelia.png Lulu.jpg Tel'Von.png Volvarians are known to be tall, often ranging from 5' 11" to 6' 5". Most have dark hair, and all have pale skin. Smaller, scrawny people are seen as weak and useless to the militaristic Volvarians, as they aren't able to contribute to battles where someone bigger would be able to. Naming Conventions Volvarian names are usually compound words separated by an apostrophe. For example, a name could be Dar'Vok. Names are short and usually gruff sounding. The first part of the name is the house name and the second part is their actual name. Accent Volvarian accents are Russian sounding, sharing some words to mix in to their sentences. "I vill make my revenge, kruv." Practices Birth Traditions Volvarians have adopted traditions of marking their children’s faces at birth. The traditions age back centuries, although their meaning and purpose have differed since then. * Scarring: '''Since ancient Volvar, scars have been seen as a sign of strength and pride of masculinity and strength. Before the reign of Del'Gruk I, the only scars a Volvarian received were from battle. However, after Del'Gruk I, the practice of ritual scarring to show one's cultural pride and strength became common. ** '''Del Scarring: Under Del’Gruk I’s rule, the practice of scarring infants’ faces, known as Del Scarring, became law to keep the Volvarians in line. Years later, the law itself was abolished, and the practice was instead used as an initiation for those who joined the Dragonguard. After the destruction of House Del and their fall from power in 3E 1160, the use of Del Scars has waned tremendously and is almost solely used by Houses who support the Del. ** Vol Scarring: '''In the years leading up to their rebellion, House Vol and their supporters began a practice known as Vol Scarring. While Del Scarring was a sign of Del superiority and strength, so Vol Scars were used to show both support for the old House and as a personal symbol. Vol scarring involves the same ritual knife as Del Scarring, however the scars are done either on the upper chest or upper back of the male, in patterns that represent different things. * '''Tattooing: '''Since ancient times, facial tattoos have been viewed as attractive on females among Volvarians. Originally, the practice of receiving facial tattoos was near casual. As time went on, women without tattoos began to be seen as unattractive and undesirable, lacking their feminine charm. Similar to the Del Scars, facial tattoos are used as a way to distinguish Volvarians from foreigners, a symbol of femininity and Volvarian pride. More poor Volvarians use rudimentary means to give the tattoos that leave heavy scarring, while wealthier Volvarians use more refined ways to give the tattoos, leading to intricate and clear tattoos which are used as a status symbol. '''Clothing Their dress styles favor dark, bold colors generally, with very basic patterns that display one's house colors. Their outfits tend to favor warm winter clothing, due to Volvar's cold climate. In addition, armor is generally included in any outfit, to be ready for any conflicts that may break out. Food Volvarian cuisine is mostly known for their soups and stews, which are exceedingly common. However, Volvarians also favor baked goods, and have developed a type of pasty, similar to a pie - although it's preparation is much different, and the fillings strictly include meat and the like. Marriage Marriage among Volvarians is viewed as a high form of attachment, the binding of two families. Typically, Volvarians wed for love, and a married couple splitting up is looked down upon heavily. Homosexual marriages are shunned, as there's no way to expand a house with them. Although, it's not entirely unheard of. When a man wishes to propose to a woman, it's customary that he either forge or have forged a weapon for the one he wishes to marry. The man is to spare no expense when having the weapon crafted, as the more money put into it is supposed to represent how much the man cares for the woman. Once the weapon is finished being crafted, the man presents it to the woman. If the woman wishes to marry, she must accept the weapon and the marriage. Typically, the woman will allow the man to wield the weapon in her name, though it's not unheard of for women to keep their weapons. A typical Volvarian wedding ceremony begins with the exchanging of rings (or crowns, in older periods) between the bride and groom or the bride and groom's families. This is in place of a dowry. After this, the bride and the groom speak vows in front of their friends, family, and loved ones. There are no ministers in Volvarian weddings, and the only ceremony is the saying of the vows. Customarily, the heads of the two houses of the couple would say vows to each other to signify that their families were being joined, though this custom was abolished under the Del. After the ceremony, the guests and married couple move to a reception venue. The receptions can last for days or weeks, and involve copious amounts of eating, drinking, toasts, games, and other activities. Typically, a large, extravagant cake is prepared for the couple, and the groom uses the betrothal weapon to cut it. The toasts begin with the bride and groom taking long drinks of vodka before kissing until the bitter taste goes away. Slavery Originally slavery was a luxury, generally saved for the Dels themselves. As Volvar was unified, and there was not much outside contact, the Dels instead had near-slave indentured servants, who worked under them for near nothing, save the highest honor of serving a living god. In the years leading up to the resurgence of House Vol and the formation of The Kingdom of New Volvar, indentured servitude and the slave trade within Volvar could only be emboldened by the disorganized nature of the new Kingdom. Education Not many Volvarians are educated, with reading and writing being seen as a luxury that's hardly necessary. Certain houses and members of the Vol's court are educated to become literate, both to record history and send easier messages. Magic Chaos Magic is revered as the strongest, most paramount of magic. Fire Magic is also one of the only types of magic Volvarians use, due to their great reverence of fire. Other types of magic are seen as silly and frivolous, with no real purpose. Funerals Dying in battle is regarded highly - many believe it is better to be killed in combat than to die old, weak, and useless. When a Volvarian dies or is killed, their body is cremated and their ashes taken back to their family homes. Category:Cultures Category:Browse Category:Western Cultures